Page 14 of Bounty Hunter’s Match (Vinduthi Captured Mates #6)

BAREK

I stared at the gear laid out on my quarters’ narrow bed. Each piece represented a different failure. Different moments I should have spoken. Should have acted.

The phase knife Camden had handed back after that first security check, her fingers brushing mine. “I assume you’ll want this returned.” A smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Unless you plan to demonstrate proper weapon handling for the twins’ cultural guide.”

The backup comm unit from the day the environmental controls failed. Her laughter echoing through the maintenance shaft as we tracked the source. “At least the Poraki’s water symphony provided proper mood lighting.”

My fingers closed around the worn leather of my glove. The one I’d left in her supply closet that morning after the Gala. After I’d held her close in the emergency suite, tasted her skin, learned the sounds she made when...

I shoved the glove into my pack with more force than necessary. The sooner I finished packing, the sooner I could leave.

Return to my real life.

Forget the way Camden’s hair felt sliding through my fingers. How her body fit against mine. The trust in her eyes before I broke it with my silence.

Something fluttered to the floor as I grabbed my backup tac-vest. One of the twins’ infamous cultural guides. The cover proclaimed “Cross-Species Romance: A Practical Guide to Interspecies Dating.”

I should have burned it weeks ago. Should have spaced every copy they tried to slip into my gear. Instead, I picked it up, letting it fall open to a well-worn page.

“Recognition of True Compatibility,” the heading declared in the twins’ flowing script. “When two beings form a genuine connection, certain signs become impossible to ignore...”

Images flooded my mind. That first day in Camden’s office, watching her handle Vask with effortless control. The way she’d seen through his bluster to the insecurity beneath. Just like she’d seen through my coldness to the hunger I tried to hide.

The first time I made her laugh - really laugh, not the polite chuckle she gave clients. We’d been reviewing security footage of a Mondian attempting traditional Earth courtship rituals. “At least he didn’t try interpretive dance,” she’d said, eyes bright with mirth. “Though I’m not sure the station’s structural integrity could handle it.”

How she handled difficult clients, reading their true needs beneath surface demands. The Sylphid who wanted to merge molecular structures with their beloved. The Zeqnid obsessed with “perfectly resonant” harmonics. Each time, she found the real desire hidden under elaborate requests.

The realization hit like a physical blow. I’d been an idiot. A complete fool.

My heart hammered against my ribs as ancient knowledge surfaced. Vinduthi courtship rituals passed down through generations. The sacred claiming bite that would mark her as mine.

Create an unbreakable bond between us.

Memory struck - watching my older sister’s claiming ceremony as a child. My sister’s joy as her mate’s markings became her own. The depth of connection in their eyes.

I could have that. Could share that with Camden.

If I wasn’t too late.

The guide hit the floor as I bolted for the door. I had to reach her. Had to explain.

“!” A Sylphid phased through the corridor wall. “We wanted to thank you for your assistance during the Gala-”

“Later.” I dodged around their shifting form.

“But the resonance patterns-”

I was already gone, taking the maintenance shaft shortcuts I’d learned during security sweeps. Had to reach Perfect Match before-

“Such passion!” Madame Hara’s delighted cry echoed through the station’s promenade. “The pursuit of true love! I must document this for my next novel!”

“Keep moving,” I growled, but she followed, datapad at ready.

“The determined warrior racing to claim his beloved! The dramatic declaration of eternal devotion!”

I lost her somewhere around deck seven, but others appeared. The Merrith trade representative. Three separate Poraki delegates. Each with questions or congratulations or requests for cultural exchange documentation.

None of them mattered. Only Camden mattered.

Perfect Match’s doors slid open at my approach. The twins’ recording drones hummed to life, capturing every angle.

“Finally!” Risa clasped her hands. “We thought you’d never figure it out!”

“The viewers will love this,” Rina added. “Such dramatic timing!”

“I trust you’ve come to rectify your previous oversight?” MIRA’s tone practically dripped with satisfaction.

“Where is she?”

“In her office.” The AI’s patterns shifted. “Though perhaps you should consider proper Vinduthi courtship protocols before-”

I pushed past them all, shouldering through the inner door. Camden stood at her window, spine straight, shoulders set. She turned at my entrance, and my breath caught at the sight of her.

“.” Her voice betrayed nothing. “I thought you’d be gone by now.”

“I should have told you.” The words tumbled out. “About claiming. About what it means.”

“Claiming?” A crack in her perfect composure.

“A sacred bond.” I moved closer, drawn by her warmth. “When a Vinduthi finds their true mate, they can share their strength through a ritual bite. My speed, my healing - you’d gain them all. My markings would appear on your skin. We’d be connected. Always.”

“Like marriage?”

“More.” I reached for her hand, hope flaring when she didn’t pull away. “Deeper. Permanent. The closest bond two beings can share.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I was afraid.” The admission burned my throat. “Afraid you’d reject me. Afraid of wanting something I couldn’t have. Afraid of needing someone so much it hurts.”

“...”

“I love you.” The words felt right. Natural as breathing. “I want to claim you. Share everything with you. Be yours in every way possible.”

Her fingers tightened on mine. “I love you too.”

Joy blazed through me as I pulled her close. Her mouth met mine with desperate hunger. I could taste her smile, feel her heart racing against my chest.

“Yes,” she breathed against my lips. “Yes to everything.”

The twins cheered. MIRA’s crystals formed hearts. But I noticed none of it.

I was too busy kissing the woman I loved. The woman who would soon wear my markings. My mate.

Mine.